Sticks and Stones (10 page)

            Janice
shuffled through the condo quietly with a baseball bat held tightly between her
hands, searching for the voice.

            The
closer she got to it, the further away it seemed. Then the whispering seemed to
be all around her. Not one voice, but many. Confusion and fear coursed through
her. She dropped the bat, grabbed her purse and ran out the front door.

*          *          *

            The
band played a slow song and Rick pulled Grace closer, singing the words into
her ear. She pulled away slightly, to look at him.

            “Does
my voice suck?” he asked with a frown.

            She
shook her head. “I didn’t figure you to be a fan of Pearl Jam.”

            He
glanced at her, affronted. “They’re my favorite band.” He shook his head and
snorted. “What do you think I listen to?”

            Grace
eyed him thoughtfully. “Country music, I guess.”

            He
flashed his dimples. “Nah, I’m not the cowboy type. But now that you mention
it, what do you listen to?”

            “Just
about everything, I guess.”

            Rick
tilted his head slightly. “Evasive as ever, Miss Ryan.”

            “Nosey
as ever, Mr. O’Shea,” she countered, with a grin.

            “Aren’t
friends supposed to know things about each other?”

            “
Now
we’re friends? The last time I saw you, you acted like I was a leper!”
Grace reminded him.

            He
closed his eyes briefly. “I didn’t want to cause problems for you with your
ex.”

            She
shook her head. “We’re not together.”

            He
spun her around and when she faced him again he put his mouth by her ear. “Not
the impression I got when I went to your house and saw you in a bathrobe, with
messy hair, I might add.”

            “You
made a wrong assumption. Nothing happened between us,” she replied stiffly.

            Rick’s
smile turned into a tight line when he saw Three-Piece standing on the porch
talking with Chase. “Then why’s he here?”

*          *          *

            “Is
that Grace Ryan?” Ben asked Chase.

            Chase
nodded, “Yep. Why are you surprised? You recommended that I hire her.”

            Ben’s
nose scrunched. “Is she with that hockey player?”

            “By
hockey player
, I assume you mean Rick O’Shea.”

            Ben’s
hazel eyes flared in anger. “He’ll only use her.”

            Chase
stepped forward and jabbed his forefinger into Ben’s chest. “I think you’d
better watch your step.
He’s
my best friend and
you’re
just my
attorney. Do we understand each other?”

            “I
care about her, Chase. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

            Chase’s
eyes widened. “Holy shit! You’re the guy who dumped her!”

*          *          *

            Grace
glanced over her shoulder and pursed her lips. “I didn’t invite him.” She
looked back at Rick. “Don’t let him ruin our fun.”

            “Really?
You’re having fun?”

            “Aren’t
you?” she asked, self-conscience.

            “Okay,
folks, we’re going to take a short break for refreshments. Couple number one on
the dance floor, thanks for being the
only
people on the dance floor for
the past three songs,” Freddie quipped. Rick shot Freddie and the band a
thumbs-up.

            Phyllis
huffed, “Frankie and I’ve been dancing the whole time, too!”

            Grace
giggled, “Yeah, but they can’t see you.”

            “Um,
Grace? Who can’t they see?” Rick asked, bewildered.

            “Phyllis
and Frankie,” she replied with a grin.

            Rick
whipped his head around. “You can see them too?”

            “Uh,
huh. Frankie is quite the looker, too,” Grace cooed. “You’ve got good taste
Phyllis.”

            Frankie
palmed his black hair back and nodded at Grace. “Ma’am,” he said smoothly,
exposing his dimples.

            Rick
lifted his chin. “If that’s true, what do they look like?”

            “Don’t
believe me, huh?”

            Rick
lifted his eyebrows encouraging Grace to describe them.

            She
shot him a lop-sided grin. “Frankie’s from the 50’s and is dressed in a white
t-shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, blue jeans and black loafers. Phyllis is a
flapper from the 20’s and she’s dressed in a black fringe dress, black boa and
she’s very cheeky…”

            Rick
shook his head and held up a hand. “Okay, I believe you.” He gripped her hands
tightly. “Can you cast a spell or whatever so I can see them too?”

            “Now?”
she squeaked.

            “You
can do it now?” he asked, giddily.

            “Well,
no. I only performed the spell once. I don’t know it off hand.”

            “Tomorrow
then?”

            “Okaaaay,”
Grace mumbled, unsure. Rick whooped and picked her up, spinning the two of them
around.

            His
boyish manners made her giggle along with him, but their laughter was
short-lived.

            “Really,
Grace, you’re making a scene,” Ben admonished.

*          *          *

            Emily
and Chase saw Rick’s jaw clench from the where they stood on the porch. “Shit,
this doesn’t look good,” Chase muttered.

*          *          *

            Rick
placed Grace gently back on the ground.

            “Ben,”
she muttered, coolly. She patted Rick’s chest. “Rick, would you mind getting me
a drink?” He nodded slowly, pinning Ben with a steely glare.

            Ben
shot Rick a wink and a grin. It took everything in Rick’s power to not turn
around and cold cock the bastard.

            Grace
placed a hand on her hip. “How am I causing a scene?”

            “Gyrating
with that boy. Really Grace, have some self respect,” Ben replied tightly.
Grace’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, aren’t you the one who likes honesty?”

            Grace
nodded, “Yes, so since we’re being honest…were you attracted to Janice, I mean
before…”

            After
a long hesitation he finally replied. “Well, yeah.” When Grace didn’t flinch he
continued, “She was
young
, attractive and worshipped me.”

            Grace
bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “Thanks for being honest.” She
took a deep, steadying breath. “I’ve moved on with my life. I suggest you do
the same.” She began to walk away when he grabbed her forearm.

            “C’mon
Grace. We can work this out. I know you still feel something for me.”

            She
turned and squared her shoulders. “It’s called regret.”

*          *          *

            Rick
chugged a shot of Jameson and reached for a second one when a hand covered his.

            “I
didn’t realize Ben was Grace’s ex,” Chase mumbled apologetically.

            “
You
invited him?” Rick choked out.

            Chase
shrugged sheepishly. “He’s my lawyer.
Fuck!
I swear, I didn’t know!”

            Rick
chugged the second shot of Jameson and slammed the glass on the glass bar.
“Your lawyer’s going to get his ass kicked!”

            Chase
grabbed Rick’s arm. “Why? Because he’s talking to her?”

            “No,
because he’s a dick!” Rick growled and turned away, slamming into Grace. A
small smile filled his face as he caught her. “We really need to quit running
into each other like this. A guy my size could hurt a tiny little thing like
you.”

            Grace
shot him a thin grin and eyed the empty shot glass on the bar. She waved the
blond bartender over. “I’ll have what he was drinking.” The bartender nodded
and she motioned him back. “Make that two.”

            Chase
placed his hand on the small of her back. “Grace, I’m so sorry. I didn’t
realize you and Ben knew each other.”

            Grace
tipped her head back and swallowed the shot of Jameson very un-lady like.
“So’kay. How could you have known?” She chugged the second shot and slammed the
glass on the bar and turned. “Rick? Ya ready for to dance?”

            Rick
flicked her a smile. “Um, there’s no music.”

            She
grabbed his hand. “You can sing Pearl Jam songs to me.”

            He
grasped her hand, linking their fingers and whispered in her ear. “Are we doing
this to get the suit jealous?”

            Grace
stopped walking and Rick noticed the flash of sadness on her face. “Don’t you
want to dance with an old lady?” she pouted.

            He
gripped her chin firmly and peered down at her. “Is that what he said to you?
That you’re old?”

            She
wiggled her head, sighing. “He implied it. It doesn’t matter.”

            Rick
bit back a crude remark and took her hand, snatching a daisy from a vase on a
nearby table. “C’mon, that dance floor looks pretty empty.”

*          *          *

            Janice
stormed into the pagan shop. “I need to see her. Now!” she demanded.

            The
gray-haired woman behind the counter smiled. “Who, dear?”

            “The
High Priestess!” Janice sniffed in contempt.

            Shoppers
in the store glanced warily at one another.

            Zee
emerged from a purple curtain, covering the back room. “Can I help you, Mrs.
Weinberg?”

            “You’re
damn right you can!”

            Zee
flashed a toothy grin at the customers and nodded hello to three of the
regulars. She then turned a stony face to Janice. “Come with me.”

            Janice
followed her down a short hallway that was decorated with moons and stars
painted in glow-in-the-dark colors. She rolled her eyes at the cheapness of it.

            “In
here,” Zee scowled, extending her hand into a room.

            “Something’s
in my house,” Janice said, shakily.

            Zee
sat at a round table, covered with purple fabric. “Can you be more specific?”

            Janice
trembled. “Something evil.”

*          *          *

            Freddie
slipped in a CD of recorded music when he saw Rick and the attractive brunette
heading towards the dance floor.

            “The
Tango?” laughed Grace when Rick extended the daisy to her.

            “Ya
don’t know how?” Rick pouted.

            Grace
lifted a thin eyebrow, removed her hair from the chignon and grabbed the daisy
from his hand. He grinned when she placed the center of the stem between her
lips.

            Soon
Grace and Rick were surrounded by other dancers. Jessica and Michael glided
past them, pausing, so Grace could introduce Rick to Jessica. Later, Michael
and Rick switched partners.

            “Ya
known Grace for a long time?” Rick said into Jessica’s ear.

            Jessica
nodded. “A few years. She taught me everything I know about herbs.” She spotted
Michael and Grace on the far end of the dance floor and said pointedly, “You’re
kinda crazy about her, aren’t you?”

            Rick
chuckled and twirled her. “You’re very forward.”

            “Just
be good to her. She’s had a hell of a year,” Jessica warned.

            “Hey,
she only wants to be friends.”

            Jessica
nodded, “Yes, but it’s obvious you’d like more.”

            “Doesn’t
matter what I want,” Rick shrugged.

*          *          *

            Zee
shrugged, “I can’t help you. But more importantly, I don’t want to help you.”

            “Huh?”
Janice squeaked. “But you said…”

            Zee
lifted her palm. “I never said I’d help you.”

*          *          *

            Later,
as the sun lowered in the sky, guests began to depart, leaving Grace and Rick
the only two on the dance floor. The band had quit for the night, but put on a
CD of mixed music at Chase’s request.

            “Where
did you learn to dance?” Grace asked, after Rick twirled her.

            “Had
a girlfriend in college who needed a dance partner for a class,” he shrugged.

            “Well,
you’re very good.”

            Rick
pulled her tightly against him and murmured into her ear. “ I love large
parties because they’re so intimate. Small parties don’t have any privacy.”

            Grace
pulled away and smiled. “I’ve never met anyone who was so fascinated by
Fitzgerald.”

            “Oh,
I’m fascinated by many things Grace.” He tore his hand from the small of her
back and gestured towards the sky. “Like that sunset. Have you ever seen
anything so beautiful?”

            Various
shades of purple, pink and yellow filled the sky. And being under that sky,
with a handsome man holding her, made Grace feel…

            She
gently pushed away from him. “Wow, it’s getting late. I should get going.”

            “Huh?”
he squeaked and checked his watch. “It’s only 8:30. C’mon, don’t leave.”

            Grace
extended her arms. “The only people here are the help and us. How did I not
notice that before now?”

            Rick
tucked his hands into his jean pockets. “Maybe because you were having fun?”

            She
tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stopped. When she arrived her hair
was in a chignon. Now it hung loose around her face.
When did that happen?
she
wondered, then remembered the two shots of Jameson and the Tango.